Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-12
HOUSEKEEPING In MEXICO.
SOME OF THE TRIALS FROM IN
Efficient SEgVa NTS.
Josefita and Her Famiiy-A Murder
Gus Porter-Flowing Hair and
Making of Soup.
tREooRD-Uv1oy Special Correspondence

TREcoRD-UNIox Special Correspondence
MEXICO, January IS, 1887.
The inefliciency of servants is an unfail
ing source of complaint in Mexico, even
among Mexicans, and how much more so
with the foreign residents On all sides
we hear of their laziness, dirtiness, drunk
enness, their addiction to stealing and to
all other vices in the category of sin. That
these complaints are often just there can
be no doubt; yet the servant evil, like
most Others in this perplexing world,
might be remedied to a great extent were
those seeking employment invariably re-
quired To furnish satisfactory recommended
ton from their last employer, and were the
latter honest enough TO recommend only
those who deserve it.
A case in point is that Of our neighbor
ian American) who lately hired porter.
In answer to his advertisements sad-faced,
middle-aged man presented himself with Il
letter from a well-known officer of the
Mexican Government which recommended
the applicant as muy honrdd0, very honora-
BILE" On the strength Of this the man was
engaged, and for time gave perfect salts
faction. His most prominent characters
tic was extreme quietness, and the noise
less way in which he would steal about the
house in sandals of his own manufacture,
often startling some member OF the family
by being suddenly discovered standing in
the room, when no sound had given evil
dence of his approach.
In few days he brought his wife, who
was retained as washwoman and later
his brother, who was employed as valet,
ii being taken for granted that all the rela-
tons of one so highly praised for honesty
must be
MUY HoNRADo"
Also. But not long afterwards a squad of
gendarmes demanded admittance at the
gate one early morning and marched off
the honest porter 10 answer to the charge
of having murdered his last employer
The Mexican who recommended him be-
ing interviewed on the subject, admitted
that he had known nothing of the fellow
for several years, but that he wrote the
billet at the request of his own valet
Owing to the peculiar construction of
Mexican houses, a porter has the property,
and even the life of his employer, pretty
much at his own disposal. But he is a
disagreeable necessity, though engaging
one is a sort of lottery, with every prospect
of drawing blank; for somebody must be
constantly in attendance at the great door
of the casa, which is also the gateway to
court, corral and garden. He is the Saint
Peter of the premises, and must be able 10
discriminate between those WHO shall be
admitted and pernicious persons who must
be kept out. If the householder in Mexico
secures q porter whose worst foibIesse is
that of intoxication, he considers himself
extremely fortunate.
1t is customary for porters, gardeners,
coachmen and other upper servants to
bring their families to live in the casa
where they are employed, thus sometimes
enormously swelling the number of re-
tanners. This practice, which would be
unbearable in the North. is not so annoy
ing here because of the great size of the
houses. These hangers-on are humility
personified, suhsisting literally on the
crumbs that fall from the rich mans Ia
bic, sleeping on the floor or the stones OF
the court yard, and cheerfully performing
whatever service may be required.
Mexican men servants are generally
much cleaner and better dressed than wo
men, and as rule one must posses.
strong nerves and good appetite to be abb,
to do justice to ones food after having seer
the cook. One look at her flowing lock-
and greasy reboso-
EFT c'EsT FINIl
Flowing hair" sounds very picturesque
as applied to these descendants of the Mon
tezumas; but when it is very dirty. and the
head to which il is attached requires a sus
picious amount of scratching, it is not
pretty picture in connection with the soup
The most disagreeable habit of Mexican
domestics is that they persist in wearing
their long hair dangling at its full length
sometimes braided, but generally matted
uncombed and always in the way. A:
well might you suggest TO a Chinaman t
curtail his cue as try to induce one of these
women to coil up her hair: her mother
and grandmother aud great-great-grand
mother wore theirs in the same way, anC
she will not depart from the time honore(
coStUmbre.
The reboso also, or national long-shawl
in itself a graceful and convenient gar
ment, is the worst cloak ever invented fo
covering a multitude of sins" in the way
of untidiness, raggedness and unkemp
hair. Even among the better classes il oc
casions much Incidence in the toilette a
we have sometimes been shocked to dis
cover when. by chance, reboso becomes
displaced.
The zarape blanket, worn by the me1
is also graceful and convenient, especiall,
on horseback. Though Indian in its orig
in, the custom of covering the lower par
of the face with it is borrowed from tn
Spanish fashion Of wearing the cloak. Th
opportunities afforded by both zarapes anC
rebosos for concealing about the person
such dangerous weapons as knives, dag
gers and stilettoes. and also for envelopin
the face and figure so as to be scarcely re
cognizable, is no doubt largely responsible
Tor many of the murders which are O
daily occurrence among the lower orders
The strongest emotions of this volatile rae
subside So quickly that if these death deal
ing implements were not ut hand in mo
ments of rage, drunkenness or jealousy
much mischief might be avoided.
A Mexican domestic is not thought les
of though she may have lived in a dozel
different houses during the year. TIL
love of tinery, which is inherent in all tn
daughters of Eve, is strong in the hearts O
these semi-barharians. A girl will Offer
go out to service merely to earn none,
enough to buy herself an embroidered che
mise, red-iiowered petticoat, or gay rib
bOns for her hair; and as soon as this am
bition is attained she will inform you tina
she is tired of working and must go hem
to rest para deScassds" So little i
necessary to these children of nature, VIII
can live contentedly on chill and tortillg.
sleep on a straw mat, and dress in but tw
garments-those above named
When Betsy and | began housekeepin
here we engaged a rather decent-lookin
old woman as laundress, but though ID
wages were exceptionally good (for thi
country she left at the end of the fir;
month, as usual, para aescansas' NJ
many days later, and regularly afterward
she used TO come with her Eve children
h-=gry horde. ragged and dirty to q degre
to beg scraps of food from the kitchen
Being asked why, when so poor, she lie
. good place and preferred begging to hor
est employment, she shrugged her shou
ders and replied, with an ingenious smile
Jesus! lfyou only knew
THE PLEASURE OF DOING NoEEUNG ~
Ny friend, Mrs. c., formerly froI
Ohio, having endured all manner of troI
bic with donestics during the several veal
she has lived here, determined to take
little Mexican girl to bring up and I
instruct her in housekeeping according I
American ideas. But the difficulty wa
that in all poy.erty-stricken Mexico ther
is scarcely taudly not born in .oeoR sery
tude who will consent TO send their daggl
tiers TO what is considered life Of SLAYER,
At last 2 child twelve years old was s,
cured-one of a large family which wa
II. III 4,